HEAVILY BOMBED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24423, 8 October 1940, Page 7

HEAVILY BOMBED

VITAL ENEMY AREAS TARGETS IN THE RUHR OIL TANK ATTACKED (British Official Wireless) (United Hress Association) (By Electric ■ Hegraph—Copyright) RUGBY, Oct. 6 An oil storage plant in the jsJFUiur, Krupp’s armament factory at Essen, and docks at Rotterdam Amsterdam and Flushing were among the targets successfully attacked on Saturday night by aircrafi ol the Bomber Command The weather was extremely bad over the entire operations area. The bomber crews had to contend with severe icing conditions, violent electrical storms, and widespread low cloud which necessitated blind flying over a great part of the route One raider, which penetrated into the Ruhr to carry out an attack on the railway yard at Hamm, found the whole route almost completely covered with cloud on the outward journey and when coming home ran into an electrical storm belt 5000 feet in depth Other aircraft reported clouds to . within 100 feet of the ground and violent static, which made wireless communication impossible, and temperatures well below freezing point. The raiding forces which succeeded in reaching the Ruhr located and attacked the oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. ' For nearly half an hour the targets were repeatedly bombed A series of minor explosions followed the bursting of heavy-calibre bombs, and incendiary bombs scattered across the factory area started several fires, one of which quickly developed into a great blaze.

Bombs on Krupps Works Two tons of high-explosive bombs were dropped on Krupp’s armament factory at Essen in a lightning attack from a high level soon after 9 o’clock. In the raid on Hamm explosions occurred after the bombs burst. Raiding forces operating in Holland bombed docks and narbour works at Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Flushing. At Rotterdam heavy: calibre bombs were seen to burst along the dockside, and buildings on the north bank opposite the dock entrance were set on fire. The dock area on the south side of the river was the chief target at Amsterdam. Here great fires, visible from 20 miles away, resulted from the bombing. At Flushing heavy-calibre bombs which struck the dock started a train of explosions lasting 10 minutes and set fires blazing which could be seen by aircraft far out to sea. Bombs were also dropped on occupied aerodromes at Schipol, Texel, Oldebroek, and Bussum. At Oldebroek bombs were seen to burst across the landing ground close to a lighted flare path. After the attack on Bussum enemy aircraft seen circling over the aerodrome were attacked by machine-gun fire and driven off. Smashing Nazi Industries How the R.A.F. is smashing Germany’s industries and war machine nightly while the Germans are bombing London’s houses and shops is shown on a huge map issued by the Ministry of Information. The map shows the vast web of destruction woven by British bombbers, which have struck at over 200 military targets, while over 700 blows have been struck against Germany herself. Beside each name of a bomber target is the number of times it has been attacked, for instance, Berlin 15. Wilhelmshaven 20. Frankfurt 12. A map of the Ruhr in an inset shows that every important town has been a victim of the R.A.F. Hamm has had over 60 raids and Essen 16. Significance of Targets The Ministry of Information, in accompanying notes stressing the significance of some of the targets; says: “We still bomb Germany’s aluminium plants. The R.A.F. in the past two months has continuously attacked oil plants in Western Germany, which normally produce 40 per cent, of her total of 2,500,000 ton of oil a year. Now the R.A.F. is paying attention to central Germany. where over 50 per cent, of the oil production is carried on.” The Ministry repeats the belief that the bombings have already appreciably reduced aircraft production, while the damage to Hamburg and Bremen has prevented the loading and unloading of any ships there. The R.A.F. has also been interfering with internal water transport and rail traffic, resulting in entire industries often being interrupted. “The bombing of invasion ports not only removes the threat of a German landing, but handicaps inland waterways in occupied territories because barges have been brought down from the Rhine and other German rivers, which normally carry huge loads of her goods The most telling proof of the R.A.F.’s damage is found in the German press, which is now forced to make cautious admissions in view of public opinion.”